When people have a desire to self-improve driven by anxiety, they often feel an overwhelming need to change themselves completely, all at once. This is fueled by a sense of impending disaster and a feeling of being fundamentally flawed. This mindset creates a negative relationship with self-improvement, where it feels based on self-criticism and not self-compassion.

If you approach self-improvement in a different way, it can create a feedback loop that helps relieve your anxiety. There is a tremendous amount of joy and calm you can access from gradually and successfully making very tiny self-improvements.

What makes this transformative for people who are anxiety-prone? Taking this gentle approach acts as evidence to your brain that there is no impending disaster.

Here are three strategies.

Instead of trying to overhaul a major system in your life, pick a micro system. Examples: your system for charging your phone, running a bath for your children, or keeping your fridge stocked with cold water.........

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